Governance and Regulation
Quantum Sensing Will Test Legal Frameworks for Privacy
(Zahra Takhshid, Mark Gyure, Vivek Krishnamurthy – Tech Policy Press) Emerging quantum technologies are reshaping computation, communication, and sensing, requiring legal scholars to confront the consequences these developments will have for privacy law. As one of us has previously argued, quantum technologies can both enhance and erode privacy. While much of the debate has focused on quantum computing and its implications for data and informational privacy, emerging research on quantum sensing compels a closer examination of this evolving field and its privacy implications. Quantum sensing exploits quantum mechanical phenomena to achieve sensitivities far beyond those of classical devices. These technologies leverage interactions at atomic and subatomic levels to detect incredibly small changes in physical parameters. One of the most familiar quantum sensing-based technologies today is the Global Positioning System, or GPS, which became operational in 1990. Quantum sensing technologies have moved well beyond theoretical speculation; they are advancing rapidly, with prototypes already demonstrating capabilities once thought unattainable. This essay examines several of these emerging technologies, the profound challenges they pose to established conceptions of privacy, and the urgency of integrating quantum sensing into broader conversations on technological governance. – https://www.techpolicy.press/quantum-sensing-will-test-legal-frameworks-for-privacy/
Examining Brazil’s ‘Ecosystem Approach’ to Digital Antitrust
(Laís Martins, Megan Kirkwood – Tech Policy Press) In September, the Brazilian government submitted to Congress an ambitious digital markets bill that marks the country’s first attempt at passing a policy designed to tackle the economic power of Big Tech. It proposes giving Brazil’s competition authority, CADE, new ways to bring challenges in digital markets. Based on a designation process for platforms of systemic relevance, the bill would impose new obligations designed to guarantee transparency, interoperability and non-discrimination by major tech companies. The bill was drafted in a joint effort between CADE and Brazil’s Finance Ministry based on results of a public consultation held in 2024 by the latter. In the lower house of Congress, the bill has been designated a rapporteur and is now awaiting a decision on the creation of a special commission to analyse the proposal. But experts anticipate small chances of having the bill approved in 2026, given that Brazil will hold general elections in October, which takes up a large part of the political agenda in Brazil. What also weighs on the prospects of the bill moving forward are the recent political tensions between Brazil and the United States. Although much of that heated rhetoric has calmed down and the tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump in July were rolled back, some of the tension remains, particularly as Brazil appears keen on advancing legislation to curb Big Tech’s economic power in the coming year. It’s been a topic of discussion in Washington. In mid-December, the House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee held a hearing on “Anti-American Antitrust: How Foreign Governments Target US Businesses,” with Brazil among the countries mentioned. Tech Policy Press spoke in early January to CADE Commissioner Victor Oliveira Fernandes, one of the six current commissioners. Fernandes, whose term ends in June 2026, has been at CADE since 2022. He holds a PhD in Commercial Law from the University of São Paulo, and a Master’s degree in Law, State and Constitution from the University of Brasília. Fernandes is a federal public servant in the career of specialist in Regulation of Public Telecommunications Services at the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel). He previously served as legal advisor to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Legal Affairs at the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic (2016-2017), working with the Deputy Chief of Staff for Infrastructure Policies, Chief of Staff at the Administrative Council for Economic Defense – CADE (2017-2019), and Chief of Staff to a Justice at the Federal Supreme Court (STF) (2019-2022). For Fernandes, competition policy in Brazil is still “very much aside from the political tensions between jurisdictions.” Unlike the US and the European Union, he doesn’t see debates on competition policy reaching the political agenda in Brazil. The commissioner also argued that the bill proposed in Brazil reaches a middle ground between the European Digital Markets Act’s (DMA) more “rigid model” and the more flexible laws adopted by the UK and Germany to fit the purpose of CADE’s needs. “If we had a very extensive list of obligations that CADE would immediately need to enforce up front, that could be really tough to implement”. – https://www.techpolicy.press/examining-brazils-ecosystem-approach-to-digital-antitrust/
Legislation
India moves to ban social media for children
(Cybernews) An ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a bill to ban social media for children, as the world’s biggest market for Meta and YouTube joins a global debate on the impact of social media on young people’s health and safety. “Not only are our children becoming addicted to social media, but India is also one of the world’s largest producers of data for foreign platforms,” lawmaker L.S.K. Devarayalu told Reuters on Friday. “Based on this data, these companies are creating advanced AI systems, effectively turning Indian users into unpaid data providers, while the strategic and economic benefits are reaped elsewhere,” he said. – https://cybernews.com/privacy/india-ban-social-media-children/
US Congress Targets ‘Pig-Butchering’ Scams as Cybercrime Outpaces Policy
(Fiona Kelliher – Tech Policy Press) A slate of new anti-cyberscam bills has emerged in the United States Senate and House in the last few months, seeking to curb transnational “pig-butchering” scam syndicates targeting Americans. Pig-butchering scams — a term referring to extracting more and more profits from a victim before cutting them off — are on the rise in the US as Chinese-led crackdowns force Southeast Asia-based syndicates to diversify their victim base away from China. The Treasury estimates that Americans lost $10 billion in 2024 alone, a 66 percent increase over 2023. The legislation comes amid US Treasury sanctions against the alleged cyberscamming and human trafficking conglomerate Prince Group, as well as various Cambodian and Myanmar tycoons. – https://www.techpolicy.press/us-congress-targets-pig-butchering-scams-as-cybercrime-outpaces-policy/
Geostrategies
China gives DeepSeek conditional OK for Nvidia H200 chips
(DigWatch) China has conditionally approved its leading AI startup DeepSeek to buy Nvidia’s H200 AI chips, with regulatory requirements still being finalised. The decision would add DeepSeek to a growing list of Chinese firms seeking access to the H200, one of Nvidia’s most powerful data-centre chips. The reported approval follows earlier developments in which ByteDance, Alibaba and Tencent were allowed to purchase more than 400,000 H200 chips in total, suggesting Beijing is moving from broad caution to selective, case-by-case permissions. Separate coverage has described the approvals as a shift after weeks of uncertainty over whether China would allow imports, even as US export licensing was moving forward. – https://dig.watch/updates/china-gives-deepseek-conditional-ok-for-nvidia-h200-chips
HiPEAC 2026: Reclaiming European Digital Sovereignty
(Pablo Valerio – EETimes) For decades, many believed the information technology (IT) sector was neutral. In the 1990s, code was often seen as existing beyond borders or politics. Earlier HiPEAC conferences focused almost exclusively on technical issues, but a keynote by Nextcloud CEO Frank Karlitschek at HiPEAC 2026 shifted attention to the political and existential dimensions of technology. “In the 90s, IT was not political,” Karlitschek told the assembly of European engineers and researchers. At the time, he said, most politicians viewed it as something that “comes out of the wall socket, similar to electricity or water.” Today, however, that utility has been weaponized. – https://www.eetimes.com/hipeac-2026-reclaiming-european-digital-sovereignty/
Security and Surveillance
DHS AI Surveillance Arsenal Grows as Agency Defies Courts
(Justin Hendrix – Tech Policy Press) Last week, a federal judge in Minnesota included a list of “96 court orders that [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] has violated in 74 cases” in an order concerning an individual that had been detained. “This list should give pause to anyone—no matter his or her political beliefs—who cares about the rule of law,” the judge wrote. “ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence.”. Yet even as ICE is defying judicial authority and engaging in violence, it is also acquiring sophisticated surveillance tools powered by artificial intelligence technologies and rapidly deploying them in American cities. The latest Department of Homeland Security AI inventory, released on January 28, reveals more than 200 AI use cases that are deployed or in development at DHS and its component agencies—an almost 40% increase since the last disclosure in July 2025. ICE drives much of this growth, adding 24 new AI applications including tools to process tips, review social media and mobile device data, and deploy facial recognition to confirm identities. Among these additions are products from Palantir, the surveillance contractor whose technologies are powering ICE’s targeting operations. Evidence of alleged lawlessness by DHS component agencies is substantial, including on digital rights and surveillance, even as the broader DHS comes under fire for spreading falsehoods about American citizens killed in Minnesota by ICE and border patrol agents. For instance, the ACLU has filed suit documenting ICE and CBP’s pattern of suspicionless stops, warrantless arrests, and racial profiling of Minnesotans, including with the use of facial recognition. The New York Times reported Friday on how tech companies are enabling these facial recognition applications, building a surveillance infrastructure that can target anyone for profit while challenging constitutional principles. – https://www.techpolicy.press/dhs-ai-surveillance-arsenal-grows-as-agency-defies-courts/
Fancy Bear Exploits Microsoft Office Flaw in Ukraine, EU Cyber-Attacks
(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine) Russian-linked hacking group Fancy Bear (APT28) has reportedly exploited a recently disclosed vulnerability in Microsoft Office to conduct cyber-attacks against Ukrainian and EU organizations. The warning was published on February 2 by the Computer Emergency Response Team of Ukraine (CERT-UA), the country’s national cyber threat intelligence unit. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/fancy-bear-exploits-office-flaw/
Cybersecurity M&A Roundup: CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks Lead Investment in AI Security
(Danny Palmer – Infosecurity Magazine) 2026 started with a raft of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the cybersecurity industry and the strong focus on AI-based acquisitions has continued into the new year. Several leading cybersecurity vendors have now completed or announced plans to buy, or merge with, other vendors and service suppliers. CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks and Infoblox were among those who made M&A announcements in January. The first month of 2026 follows what was a strong year for M&As involving information security companies in 2025. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news-features/cybersecurity-ma-roundup-jan-26/
Android RAT Uses Hugging Face to Host Malware
(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) A new Android remote access trojan (RAT) uses popular AI platform Hugging Face to host and distribute malicious payloads, Bitdefender has revealed. The security vendor claimed that Hugging Face – which is designed to host AI tools, models datasets and other assets – did not conduct sufficient checks to vet the content that users upload. All uploads are meant to be scanned with open source antivirus engine ClamAV. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/android-rat-hugging-face-host/
Frontiers and Markets
AI just found hundreds of space oddities hiding in NASA’s Hubble archive
(Marcus Walsh – Cybernews) A pioneering AI space detection system named AnomalyMatch has been used by NASA to scan over 100 million image cutouts from the Hubble Telescope imaging archive, and the results are impressive. The system, functioning as a neural network similar to the human brain, flagged over 1,300 anomalies, with over 800 having never been described in scientific literature. AnomalyMatch was developed by researchers at the European Space Agency (ESA). Most strikingly, the AI scanner found 417 galactic mergers and interactions (with distorted shapes and star streams) and 138 gravitational lenses (bending light into arcs with surreal forms). The system also picked up jellyfish-shaped galaxies that bleed gas as they tear through dense galaxy clusters, as well as hamburger discs – technically known as protoplanetary disks, with the light radiating from the young star within, shining on a thick layer of dust. – https://cybernews.com/news/ai-nasa-galaxy-hubble-anomaly/
Tech executives double down on AI, talent, and adaptive strategies to lead in the Intelligence Age
(Ashley Lechman – IOL) As organisations worldwide shift gears in the digital landscape, KPMG’s Global Tech Report 2026 unveiled that the race towards embedding artificial intelligence (AI) into core workflows is accelerating. The report reveals that while expectations for AI technology are soaring, the journey to scalability can be fraught with complexity and varying returns. According to the findings, a significant 68% of organisations surveyed are determined to reach the highest level of AI maturity by the end of 2026, a stark contrast to the mere 24% achieving this benchmark today. Furthermore, an overwhelming 88% are investing in the development of agentic AI—autonomous systems that are set to revolutionise operations and decision-making processes. “The future belongs to leaders who turn intelligence into advantage,” said Guy Holland, Global Leader at KPMG’s CIO Center of Excellence. “Our research indicates that after the initial phases of speculative investment, organisations are now focussing on delivering tangible value driven by disciplined execution.”. The report highlights a disparity between aspiration and execution; while 74% of organisations report that AI initiatives are creating measurable business value, only a quarter (24%) manage to harness that into consistent return on investment (ROI) across multiple use cases. – https://iol.co.za/business-report/companies/2026-01-30-tech-executives-double-down-on-ai-talent-and-adaptive-strategies-to-lead-in-the-intelligence-age/
Google unveils AI tool probing mysteries of human genome
(Bénédicte Salvetat Rey – Japan Today) Google unveiled an artificial intelligence tool this week that its scientists said would help unravel the mysteries of the human genome — and could one day lead to new treatments for diseases. The deep learning model AlphaGenome was hailed by outside researchers as a “breakthrough” that would let scientists study and even simulate the roots of difficult-to-treat genetic diseases. While the first complete map of the human genome in 2003 “gave us the book of life, reading it remained a challenge”, Pushmeet Kohli, vice president of research at Google DeepMind, told journalists. – https://japantoday.com/category/tech/google-unveils-ai-tool-probing-mysteries-of-human-genome
Microsoft and SABC Plus set to unlock AI and digital skills for millions of South Africans
(Microsoft) Microsoft South Africa and SABC today announced plans to bring accessible AI fluency and digital skills learning directly to millions of South Africans through the national broadcaster’s digital platform. Announced at the 2026 Microsoft AI Tour Johannesburg, this collaboration is driven by Microsoft Elevate, the company’s transformative initiative aimed at equipping individuals and organisations with the skills and tools needed to thrive in an AI-driven economy, and builds on the AI Skills Initiative, launched in 2025, where Microsoft pledged to train one million South Africans by 2026. – https://news.microsoft.com/source/emea/2026/01/microsoft-and-sabc-plus-set-to-unlock-ai-and-digital-skills-for-millions-of-south-africans/
The AI infrastructure boom shows no sign of slowing down
(Russell Brandom – TechCrunch) One way to track the speed of the AI boom is to follow the hardware supply chain. Nvidia is the classic example: As AI companies build out data centers, they’re buying up billions of dollars of GPUs each month, turning Nvidia into the most valuable company on earth. But Nvidia has suppliers too, and looking at them can give us an even longer-term view of the market. – https://techcrunch.com/2026/01/28/the-ai-infrastructure-boom-shows-no-sign-of-slowing-down/